Doug Daulton

Storyteller (Words & Images)

CONNECT

Two Wireless Webcams for Live Streams

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In my daily work, I do a lot of live streaming, Skype and Google Hangouts. Creating interesting camera angles with webcams has always been a challenge. The straight on, built-in webcam common in laptops and mobile devices presents all sorts of issues: boring camera angles; tethered to the laptop/device; odd light & shadows. Moving the camera off of the device solves a lot of problems and opens up new opportunities. Within two weeks of one another, two new camera options have emerged.

First, we get the WiFi BacPac and iOS app for GoPro Hero2 Cameras. Now comes the Logitech Broadcaster Wi-Fi Webcam. 1080p would have been nice, but 720p gets the job done.

The real test will be Wirecast. If these cameras work natively with Wirecast Pro, they could be game-changers for low-end live streams.

Mobile Streaming Kit (MSK)

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A lot of folks have asked for more details about the Mobile Streaming Kit (MSK) that we used at NAB 2010 and on the set of Marty Rosenberg’s film. In the most recent episode of Gear Media Tech, Alex breaks it all down for you in under five minutes. And, you get to see some big bald guy lugging it around after a day on the floor of NAB. ;^D

At some point in the near future, we’ll produce a more in depth video that provides greater detail on the rig itself. We’ll also include some lessons learned from the field and some cool insight on the forthcoming HD version of the LiveU unit.

Whirlwinds move slower …

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My LiveU Streaming Rig
My LiveU Streaming Rig

So, I made the long drive up from Vegas to San Francisco ten days ago. Aside from the spring snowstorm in the Bear Mountains outside of Bakersfield, the drive was uneventful. I got into my hotel around 1AM and started at the Pixel Corps the next morning at 9AM. From there, my schedule looked like this …

  • 04/22 – Meet a lot of the PXC team. Get some marching orders from Alex and John RIley. Log all of the EX-1 footage from NAB, organize it for post. Begin capture of DV footage from events streamed over LiveU, including the interview with Ted Schilowitz of Red Camera where we got some great insight into the Red Epic and Scarlet cameras.
  • 04/23 – Continue logging & capture of NAB footage. Also begin rough edits of footage for Gear*Media*Tech and MacBreak Studio. Get the lowdown on live corporate streaming event to which I am assigned for Monday. Meet some new PXC folks. After work , take in a double feature of Kick Ass! and The Losers. WIll write up thoughts on those films later.
  • 04/24 – Move from hotel to apartment. After setting up my two workstations in the apartment, I begin capturing more NAB footage, including interviews by Diana Weynand for the new 3D podcast we have in development at PXC. DV capture happens around other apartment set up stuff. Spend the evening checking out the North Beach area.
  • 04/25 – Spent most of the day waiting on the Comcast installer and cursing his name. Realize how much broadband Internet has become intertwined in my life. Wonder if that is a good thing. I need it more than I need cable TV. Am also surprised that, in the tech capital of the USA, I still have to wait on the cable guy. Spend much of the day continuing to capture DV footage from NAB 2010.
  • 04/26 – Call time at Noon for set up and testing for live corporate streaming event. Great opportunity to watch the well-oiled PXC machine in action and learn a lot about the way shows are prepped and produced.
  • 04/27 – Call time at 7AM. Got the trolley schedule mixed up and had to grab a cab to make it on time. It was also the classic foggy/rainy SF spring day. Worked the live streaming event until 3PM. Learned a lot about show flow, audio/video capture and video mixing. Nothing deep and technical yet, but a very good experience seeing it all in action. Also participated in my first show post-mortem where we broke down the show … calling out successes as well as learning opportunities. Was great to see how the PXC “way” values the voices of everyone on the team.

    After post-mortem, hustled to pack up all of the gear needed for the live-streaming on the film set. Headed home to pack up my own gear, grab the truck and head back to the office to pick up the gear and head off to the Sacramento. Was on set around 10PM. Watched the shoot in progress and got a sense of the parameters in which we could shoot “behind the scenes” (BtS) work.

I’ve now been on set for four days. We’ve learned a lot about the way the LiveU & uStream process works best. We’ve also learned a lot about the best ways to effectively shoot BtS & streaming footage. And, I’ve learned a lot about how a feature film set works, particularly an indie feature. The cast & crew have been absolutely incredible. Everyone is very professional, gracious and incredibly generous with their considerable knowledge.

There is a lot to process there. And, the days on set are long. So, I may not post much more until after we wrap next week. But, I already have a lot of great ideas for posts about this particular experience. Stay tuned.

Peace,

Doug

PS: A few important things that also happened along the way …

  • Spoke to Kelly (my lovely wife) and Finn (my rambunctious 2 year old son) at least once a day. Missed them a lot as the reality of the time away from them became more real. I think lots of married guys might fantasize about returning to bachelorhood, even if for a little while, but if you love your wife and kids, the reality is far less glamorous than the fantasy. It looks like my son grows bigger every day. Thank God for Skype!
  • On Thursday, Friday and Saturday, I followed the near-perfect NFL draft by my beloved, home town Cincinnati Bengals. The only thing that might have made the draft better would have been if Taylor Mays (Safety, USC) slid to us like Rey Malalugua did last year. Two words … WHO DEY!